ring of life, ring of death
by lannistersdebt
Summary: The Gaunt ring is no ordinary ring, as Severus learns. Written for Round 7 of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Forum.


"You see, then, why I cannot let them go without punishment. Lucius has...shall we say this politely? On numerous occasions, he has shown he is incapable of carrying out any task I give him and yet he begs for more chances. His chances are over and now he shall pay." The Dark Lord's tone was steady and his demeanor was calm, a combination that unnerved most of his followers more than his rage. Angry, they knew what to expect. Collected, they did not.

"The fiasco at the Ministry may not have turned out how you would like, but the wizarding world knows that you are back now. You've regained most of your followers and recruited new ones. Perhaps it is safe to say that while he did more than his fair share of damage, he also helped the cause."

"How long have you and Lucius been friends, Severus?" Voldemort poured them each more wine and settled back in his chair.

"Over twenty years, my lord." He kept his eyes on the other wizard.

"And he made you Draco's godfather, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Yes."

"Yet it is not truly Lucius that you are sympathetic to here, is it?" Severus's gaze wavered for a moment and Voldemort smirked. "I thought not. You've always had a weakness for Narcissa."

The hand not holding his wine glass was clenched tightly in a fist, as if that were the only manner in which he could restrain himself. "My…weakness…has little to do with it. I simply don't believe the entire family needs to be punished."

"I see." There was a pause, longer than necessary. Both wizards knew that if Severus were anyone else, his words would have him writhing in pain or six feet under. It went without saying that he was treading on dangerous ground, that the rest of the meeting should go exactly as Voldemort wanted it. His tolerance only went so far. "You will be happy, then, to know that one of them is being rewarded."

He need not ask which one. "Bellatrix."

Voldemort nodded, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "She is to help prepare young Draco to join our ranks, as I expect you will as well."

"Of course." No other answer would do. "And what exactly is it that you want the boy to do, my lord?"

He smiled and twirled his wine, watching it spin within the glass. "Kill Dumbledore."

* * *

The light in the headmaster's office was dim, unusually so. It felt almost as though the darkness from outside was creeping in, taking over the lamps flickering around the room. More light would be helpful and welcome, but without another hand, it was going to be impossible to get. Severus was used to making do with what he had, used to working in stressful situations. Later, it would bother him more. For now, he was focused on doing what he had been summoned to do: save a life.

Dumbledore sagged sideways in his chair behind his desk despite his earlier attempts to stay upright. It was a miracle he was still semiconscious, or alive at all really. Severus's face was tense with concentration as he stared at Dumbledore's blackened right hand, dangling over the edge of the man's chair. He had seen worse from far less talented people, but that wasn't to say that this wasn't bad.

His voice was the only sound in the room as he quietly muttered incantations, his wand pointed toward the wrist of the blackened hand and his left hand pouring a thick gold potion down Dumbledore's throat. It felt odd to be fighting to save this life, to bind this curse, when only half an hour ago plans for murder had been laid out. Yet it went without question that he would do all that he could here, to put his knowledge to work. To give a man more time, if he could.

A few moments passed and then with a soft gasp, the headmaster's eyelids fluttered and opened. Severus hardly paused before he spoke, his worry and concentration giving way to anger and frustration. "Why, _why_ did you put on that ring? It carries a curse, surely you realized that. Why even touch it?"

A ring made up of a black stone and a gold band sat on the desk between them, the sword of Gryffindor beside it. There was a crack running down the middle of the stone, a result, Severus presumed, of Dumbledore's actions. His brow furrowed as he looked at it, noticing the symbol of the Deathly Hallows.

The action didn't escape Dumbledore, who grimaced. He looked as though he felt nearly normal again, and when he spoke, it was with slight trouble for only a moment. "The wisest man has his foolish moments… When sorely tempted, it is hard to resist…"

"When tempted by what? Objects that exude traces of dark magic have rarely prompted you to be so rash."

The older man was silent, simply staring at the ring.

"I am _still _amazed you managed to return here at all, much less _alive_, and that you managed to summon me in time. It is a pure miracle, and yet you cannot answer me as to why you risked your life for a piece of jewelry?" He was furious, a result of the events of the night combined. "This ring had power so astonishing that I could only buy you time, could only contain it in your hand, but it will spread."

Dumbledore didn't respond immediately, instead lifting his hand and examining it. He seemed unconcerned as he did so, and when he was finished with his look, he spoke. Still, he was casual, as though they were talking about any manner of trivial things. "And you've done well, Severus. I cannot thank you enough… How long, would you say?"

The professor hesitated, not wanting to give an answer. Voldemort had given no exact timeline for when he planned the murder to occur, and the curse could be unpredictable. "A year, at most. I cannot tell for certain. The curse is one that only strengthens with time, and as I said, it will spread at some point, despite anything we do."

At the news, Dumbledore smiled. Less than a year to live, and he seemed happy. "I'm very fortunate to have you, Severus."

"I might have managed to more, had you summoned me earlier." Severus's gaze moved to the sword and stone again. "I presume you thought that breaking the stone would break the curse?"

"Along those lines, yes." He could sense that Severus wanted to continue the topic but held up his hand. "This makes a difficult topic easier to discuss. I believe that Lord Voldemort has come up with a plan, one in which he wishes for Draco Malfoy to murder me."

He scowled, still staring at the ring. "He hardly expects Draco to succeed; this is merely punishment for Lucius. Narcissa, too."

"So, in short, our death sentence is mutual." Dumbledore picked up the ring, turning it over in his good hand. "You are the predecessor, after his failure, I should think?"

The light was fading further in the office but neither wizard bothered to change it. The silence between them was a loud one as Severus hesitated. "I think that that is the Dark Lord's plan, yes."

"He believes that he will no longer need a spy at Hogwarts in the near future, then?"

"As he believes that the school will be in his grasp, that is correct."

"I need your word, Severus, that you will do all you can to protect the students here, Severus." Dumbledore's gaze was serious.

Settling back in the chair across from the headmaster, he nodded. He hardly expected the words that followed.

* * *

'_It must be you that kills me.'_

The words kept repeating in his head, as though they would become more acceptable the more that he thought them over. He didn't want to do this, not at all. Yet the stone was a Horcrux, and Dumbledore destroyed it. The old man had done his share, and it was time for the rest of the army to do theirs.

"It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not," he muttered softly.

The witch beside him stirred, laced her fingers with his. "Something's bothering you again."

He nodded.

"What?" she asked, but she knew he couldn't tell her.

A ring. A stone.

A life….and a death.

* * *

_**a/n:**_

This was written for Round 7 of the Harry Potter Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition.  
I write as Beater 1 for the Montrose Magpies.  
The overall round setting was writing about horcruxes.  
My horcrux was the Gaunt ring.  
My prompt was:  
\- 4 (quote); "It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not." ― André Gide, _Autumn Leaves_

Please note that I used one line directly from Jo's writing. That line was: "Why, _why_ did you put on that ring? It carries a curse, surely you realized that. Why even touch it?"  
The rest of the dialogue that sounds similar was purposefully changed to my own wording. The scenes there are also based around hers. I apologize for any infringement; it is not intended to come across that way.

Big thanks to firefly81 for helping with ideas and being a great beta!


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